Restrictions hampering cooperative research efforts: fishermen involved in gear projects lose precious days at sea under NMFS requirements

National Fisherman, January, 2005 by Dexter Van Zile

A ratcheting down of fishing effort on groundfish is making it tougher to test more selective fishing gear in New England.

In recent months, NMFS has required a growing number of boats involved in cooperative research to call in days at sea while doing their research. In response, owners are either charging scientists more for the use of their boats or abandoning cooperative research all together.

Maggie Raymond, spokeswoman for the Associated Fisheries of Maine, says requiring boats to expend a day at sea while working on a project will make boat owners less willing to come down in price. Consequently, funding for research isn't going as far as it used to.

"People are very concerned that there's not going to be enough funding to attract people to...